What does "highway" mean?
A main public road, especially a multi-lane, high-speed thoroughfare.
Highway
/ˈhaɪweɪ/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A main public road, especially a multi-lane, high-speed thoroughfare.
- Grammar: highway is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: main road, alley, alleyway, arterial.
- Useful contrasts: dirt-road route, at-grade road, boardwalk.
- Usage evidence: The holiday traffic crawled along the highway.
How to use "highway"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "highway" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "highway" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "highway" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "highway" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "highway" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "main road" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "highway", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A main public road, especially a multi-lane, high-speed thoroughfare.
"The highway to the East Coast which ran through the borough of Ebbfield had always been a main road and even now, despite the vast garages, the pylons and the gaily painted factory glasshouses which had sprung up beside it, there still remained an occasional trace of past cultures."
- 2 a major road for any form of motor transport wordnet
- 3 Any public road.
- 4 A way; a path that leads to a certain destiny. figuratively
"You're on a highway to greatness."
- 5 A road that is major (more heavily traveled and thus more important than a byway), higher than the surrounding land, has drainage ditches at the sides, or has any combination of those traits. archaic
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Synonym of bus (“common connection for two or more circuits or components”).
Verb
- 1 To travel on a highway
Proper Noun
- 1 A number of places in England:; A western suburb of Maidenhead, Windsor and Maidenhead borough, Berkshire (OS grid ref SU8680).
- 2 A number of places in England:; A neighbourhood of Redruth, Cornwall (OS grid ref SW7143).
- 3 A number of places in England:; A neighbourhood in Stoke sub Hamdon parish, South Somerset district, Somerset (OS grid ref ST4717).
- 4 A number of places in England:; A hamlet in Hilmarton parish, north-central Wiltshire (OS grid ref SU0474).
- 5 A number of places in the Philippines:; A sitio in the barangay of Poblacion, Tuba, Benguet, Philippines.
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 A number of places in the Philippines:; A sitio in the barangay of San Carlos, Rosario, Batangas, Philippines.
- 7 A number of places in the Philippines:; A sitio in the barangay of San Jose, Narvacan, Ilocos Sur, Philippines.
- 8 A number of places in the Philippines:; A sitio in the barangay of Anoling, General Nakar, Quezon, Philippines.
- 9 A number of places in the Philippines:; A sitio in the barangay of Ikirin, Pagbilao, Quezon, Philippines.
- 10 A number of places in the Philippines:; A sitio in the barangay of Pinagbayanan, Pagbilao, Quezon, Philippines.
- 11 A number of places in the Philippines:; A barangay of Dulag, Leyte, Philippines.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The holiday traffic crawled along the highway."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "highway"?
Common synonyms include: main road, alley, alleyway, arterial, arterial highway, arterial road.
How do you use "highway" in a sentence?
The holiday traffic crawled along the highway.
How do you pronounce "highway"?
Pronounced /ˈhaɪweɪ/.
Etymology
From Middle English heiȝwai, heiȝwei, from Old English hēahweġ (“main road, highway”), corresponding to high + way. Compare highgate, high street, high road. Cognate with Scots heaway, heway, hieway, hichway, heichway (“highway”).